Attaching device for electric cables



Jane ,5 1926. ,568,603

C. E. HRTVHG ATTACHINC DEVICE ECR ELECTRIC CABLES Filed March :5, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 5 1926.

- 1,568,603 c. E. HARTVIG ATTACHING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CABLES Filed March 5', 1922 5 Sl'xeets--She'eiz 2 11M lum m V T R A H E Q Jan. 5 1926.

TTACHING DVICE FOR ELECTRIC CABLES 5 Sheets-Shea?. 5

Filed March :5, 1922 (amig Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,603

C. E. HARTVHG ATTACHING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CABLES Filed March 5, 1922 5 Sheets-Shef 4 6l infant);

Jan. 5 1926.

C. E. HARTViG ATTACHINC DEVICE FCR ELECTRIC CABLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 3, 1922 Ilnmln OLBMS Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN E. HARTVIG, OF EL RENO, OKLAHOMA.

ATTACHINGvDEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CABLES.

Application filed March 3, 1922. Serial No. 540,766.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I. CHRISTIAN E. HART- viG, a citizen-of the United States, residing at El Reno, in the countyof Canadian and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attaching Devices for Electric Cables, of which tihe following is a specification.

My invention relates to attaching devices for electric cables and has for its primary object the provision of novel and improved attaching devices whereby electric cables,

particularly cables having a metallic armor,

-to the mechanism controlled by or associated with such electric circuits. These trunkings are objectionable for the reason that they are expensive to construct and install and also require considerable expense to maintain them in such condition as toinsure proper protection of the electric circuits.

This is particularly true when the trunkings are made, as they usually are, of wood. I therefore contemplate, as one of the specific objects of this invention to provide means for overcoming the above mentioned and 40 other incidental objections to the use of trunkings of the various constructions now in general use, wihich means, preferably, include the use of an armored cable that may be buried at a relatively shallow depth in the ground without danger of being damaged by the passage of heavy objects over it, and which, due to its construction, will provide the wire or wires of the cable, as the case may be, with adequate protection against moisture or other influences that tend to create grounded and short circuits in the wiring systems nowin general use.

A nother object is to provide improved devlces for attaching armored cables to the housings or other parts of objects controlled 55 by or associated with electric circuits and to so construct such devices that the armor of the cable will be thoroughly insulated from the electric conductor of the cable and the attaching device ,and to also seal the end of the cable so as to prevent moisture from entering between the electric conductors and insulation of the cable.

Another object is to provide improved attaching devices of the above character that may be readily applied to and removed from .their operating positions. and which when applied will form in effect, parts of the objects with which they are connected.

The invention has for further objects the novel arrangements, constructions and combinations of parts and devices relating to electric circuits of the above character and to attaching devices for cables as will be hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out the above stated objects and such other objects as will appear from the following detailed description of my invention.

The invention is illustrated in certain preferred embodiments in the -accompanying S0 drawings, wherein :l

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view illustrating, for convenience only, one specific application of my invention to an electric circuit. S5

Fig. 2 is a side view, in elevation, of an attaching device, constructed in accordance with my invention, adapted to attach an electric cable' to a railroad rail.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the structure 90 shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the attaching device shown in Figs.

2 and 3, the section being taken on line 4 4 l of Fig. 3. '95 Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating a modification.

Fig. 7 isan end view of the structure 10o shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a front view in elevation of anothcr embodiment which is vparticularly suitable for supporting a plurality of cables and attaching them to the housing of a device associated with an electric circuit; this specific embodiment being shown as attached to the mechanism case of a railway signaling device.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken through the structure shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view in plan taken on line 10-10 of Fig. 9, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 11 is another embodiment of my invention adapted -to support a plurality of cables, this device being shown in connection with a type of switch circuit controller n ow extensively used in railway electric circuits.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line`12-12 of Fig. 11, this figure being shown on a larger scale.

Fig. 13 is a cross sectional view taken on line 13-13 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a plan view of another embodilnent of my invention showing the same applied to a vertical rotary switch circuit controller, a portion of the switch circuit controller casing being shown in section.

Fig. 15 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 15--15 of the structure shown in Fig 14. v

Fig. 16 is a modified construction of attaching device adapted to be used in .connection with vertical rotary switch circuit controllers, and

Fig. 17 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 17-17 of Fig. 16.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first to` Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive and 8 to 10 inclusive, wherein I have shown my invention, for convenience only, in connection with a railway track circuit adapted to control the operation `of a vsemaphore signal. l

In the above figures the reference characters 10 and 11 designate armored cables, which are' preferably -buried in the Oround andl their armor connected at their adjacent ends to the railroad rails by means of at taching devices designated generally at 12 and 13. The armor of the cables at their other ends are attached by means of an attaching device to the housing 15 enclosing the mechanismfor operating the semaphore signal, the electric conductors being con nected to the rails and to the operating mechanism, in any suitable manner. In electric circuits of this character, the electric batteries 16 are ordinarily enclosed in the housing 15, but in Fig. 1 I have shown them, for purposes of clearness interposed in the .cable 10.

In railway track circuits it is important that the armor of the cable be thoroughly insulated from the railway rails so as to prevent grounded or short circuits. It is desirable to firmly attach the cable armor to the rail so that the vibration and longitudinal creeping movements of the rail will have no tendency to disconnect the electric conductor of the cable from its connection with the rail.

In Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive I have illustrated one embodiment of an attaching device that is particularly suitable for attaching the armor of a cable Vto a railroad rail. This embodiment consists of a b ody portion 17 and one or more clamping bolts 18 which together embrace the base of a rail. The body portion 17 is preferably formed with a tubular portion 19 and is provided with laterally projecting flanges 20-20 which terminate in upper and lower jaw members 21 and 22 adapted to fit over and bear against the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of one of the baseL flanges of the rail;

The clamping bolts 18 are formed with hooks 23 adapted to engage with the other edge of the rail base and with threaded portions 24 which extend through openings 25 in the lower jaw members 22 of the body and receive nuts 26.

It will be seen that by tightening the nuts 26 the attaching device may be rigidly clamped to the base flange of the rail so that it will move with the rail. To maintain a tight engagement of the device on the rail base Iv preferably interpose spring washers 27 between the webs 20 and nuts 26 so as to prevent the vibration of the ra-il and other disturbing influences from loosening the nuts 26.

The end of the cable armor is inserted a short distance in the tubular portion of the body and is insulated from the walls thereof preferably, by means of half or s lit sleeve members 28-29 made of fibre or ot er suitable insulating material. The cable armor is clamped firmly to a web 30 of the bodyby means of a semi-circular metallic pad 31 and a plurality of U-bolts 32 or equivalent means, as shown best in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

1 'Spring washers 33 are positioned between the nuts 33 of the U-bolts 4and the upper surface of said web 30 to prevent accidental loosening of the nuts. The ends of the web 30 are preferably inclined downwardly, as indicated at 34, so as to provide maximum protection for the cable and the means by which itis connected to the body portion of the attaching device. The electric conductor 35 of the cable extends through an opening 36 in the vertical web 20 and is secured to the rail in any suitable. manner, for 'example, by means of a lug 37 (Fig. 2) driven in a small hole in t e web of the rail.

In order to thoroughly seal the end of the cable so as to prevent any moisture from entering betweenthe electric conductors 35 and mored cable in` connection with railway track c1rcu1ts, whereby providing .greater protection for the electric wire and its connectlon wlth the rail and at the same time avoid the many disadvantages incident to the use of the specially constructed trunk- -ings and bootlegs now in general use in connection with the wiring of railway track circuits.

The other ends of the armored cables may be connected with various types of devices controlled by or associated with the electric circuit. In Fig. 1 of the drawings I show the ends of the cables and 11 supported by an attachin device 14, which device .is particularly suitable for attaching thecab'les to the mechanism case of a railway signal. Such attaching device,how ever, `may obviouslyl be used in other analogous situations. In Fig. 1 I have shown two cables only leading into the' -mecha- 'nism case 15 though the attaching devices,

indicatedA by thereference character 14, may be, and preferably are constructed to accommodate any-desired number of cables.

In Figs; 8 toV 10 inclusive I have shown a detailed construction 'of an attaching device of the character shown at 14l in Fig. 1. In this embodiment the attaching. device consists of a housing comprising a back plate 40 adapted to be secured to the signal mechanism case or other desired structure by means of bolts 41, and an angular cover member 42 which is preferably secured by bolts 43 to the back plate. The back plate is formed with a rib 44 having semicircular recesses providing seatsv for each 'of the cables. The cables extend through openings 45 in the bottom of the housing and are, preferably though not necessarily, held out of contact with the housing by means of an insulating block 46. rIhe upper end ofeachI cable, or pair of cables, asf

thc case may be, are clamped against. the rib 44 by means of clamping bars 47-48 and bolts 49. The cables are, preferably though not necessarily, insulated from the rib 44 and clamping bars by means .of split sleeve members -51 of fibre or other suitable insulating material. The electric conductor of the cable will, ordinarily, have no contact with the mechanism case and therefore avoids the necessity of insulating this end of the cable armor from the, attaching device.

The electric conductors 35 of the cable pass out of the housing of the attaching device through an opening 52 in the back plate 40. When the back plate 40 is attached to the wall of a mechanism case or other device, a gasket 53 is positioned between the back plate and the said wall so as to prevent moisture from entering thel interior of the attaching devicel and mechanism case. The casing of the attaching device may be, and preferably is, under conditions'likely to expose the ends of the cables to moisture, filled with petroleum asphaltum or other suitable sealing and insulating material.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a modification of the attaching device shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. In this modification, the attaching device instead of bein formed with jaws adapted to fit over one e ge of'the'rail base and clamped thereto by means of a bolt engaging the opposite edge of the rail base, is formed with an angular spaced portion 54 which seats upon the inclined surface of onel of the base flanges of the rail and is bolted by bolt 55 to the vertical web of the rail. In otherrespects this modified construction may be made substantially the same as that illustratedin Figs. 9 to 5 inclusive.v

In Figs. 11,-12 and 13 I have shown an embodiment which is particularly suitable for use in connection with one type of track switch circuit controller for railway electric circuits. In this embodiment the attaching device consists of a tubular body 56 having attaching flanges 57 adapted to fit overan opening 58 in the circuit controller housing 59 and be bolted thereto by bolts 60. The tubular portion of the body is divided into two chambers 61-62 by means of a web 63 having recesses 64 providing seats for'the cables A--B-C and The cables are clamped against they web 63- by clamping bars 65-66 and bolts 67; fibre insulating sleeves 68 being, preferably though not necessarily, interposed between the cable armor and the web 63 and clamping bars so as to insulate the cable armor from the attachingdevices. The chambers 61 and 62 are preferably filled, as in the other embodiments, wlth petroleum asphaltum to seal the ends of the cables.

In Figs. 14 and 15 I have shown a device similar to that of Figs. 11, 12 and 13, which is suitable for attaching a plurality of superposed cables to a track switch circuit controller of the vertical rotary type. In

this modification the tubular body portion 70 is provided with upstanding flanges 71-71 which fit over a depending flange` of the circuit controller housing 7 2. The cables are clamped by means of clampin bars 7 3 7 3 and bolts 74 to a central web g5 and the chamber7 6 lilled with petroleum asphaltum or a suitable insulating compound 77.

In Figs. 16 and 17 I have shown another modification adapted for use on track switch circuit controllers of the general type shown in Figs. 14 and 15. In this embodiment the' cables instead of being supported in a superposed position are arranged side by side and clamped to a top flange 78 of the device. An inwardly projecting portion 79 is formed with an opening which lits over a vertical shaft 80 of the controller device 81. 82 designates insulatin material in the chamber 83 of the body. Iii Figs. 16 and 17, and likewise in Figs. 14 and 15, the cables are, referably though not necessarily, insulated rom the devices by means of fibre sleeve members 84 or other suitable insulating material.

I claim:

1. The combination with an. electric cable, of an attaching device, Jfor attaching said cable to an object, comprising a housing for one end of the cable, insulating means around said cable to seal its end and insulate it from the housing, clamping devices for clamping the cable to the housing, and means for securing the housing to said object.

2. The combination with an electric cable having a metallic armor, of an attaching device, for attaching said cable to an object, comprising a housing for one end of the cable, insulating sleeve members intervening between the armor of the cable and said housing, clamping devices for clamping the cable to the housing, and means for securing the housing to said object.

3. The combination with an electric cable having a metallic armor, of an attaching device, for attaching said 'cable to an object, comprising a housing for one end of the cable, insulating sleeve members intervenin between the armor of the cable and saiy housing, clamping devices for clamping the cable to the housing, and means for securing the housing to said object, said housing being provided with a chamber and a body of insulating material in said chamber to sealll the end of said cable.

4. In railway electric circuit wiring, the combination of an armored cable the armor 'of which4 is grounded, and means for anchorling the cable to a device associated with said electric circuit, comprising a housing for the end othe cable and means for sealing and insulating the cable from said housmg.

5. In a railway electric circuit wiring, the combination of an armored cable the =armor of which is grounded, and means for anchory ing the cable to a device associated with said i electric circuit, comprising a housing having a chamber to receive the end of the cable, and a` body of insulating material in said chamber to seal the end of the cable and insulate it from said housing.

6. In railway electric circuit wiring, the combination of an armored cable the armor of which is grounded, and means for anchoring the cable to a rail associated with said electric circuit, comprising a housing having a chamber to receive the end of the cable and a body of insulating material in saidy chamber to seal the end of the cable and insulate it from said housing.

7. In railway electric circuit wiring, the combination with an armored cable the body of which is grounded, of means for anchoring one end of the cable to a device associated with said electric circuit, comprising a housing, means for clamping the armor of the cable to said housing and insulating devices intervening between the cable armor and said clamping device; said housing being provided with a chamber to receive the end of the cable, and a body of insulating material to seal the end of said cable.

8. In a railway electric circuit wiring, the combination with an armored cable the armor of which is grounded, of means for anchorino' one end of the cable to a device associated with said electric circuit, comprising a housing having a chamber to receive one end of the cable, means for clamping the armor of the cable to said housing a body of plastic material in said chamber to seal the end of said cable, and insulating devices intervening between the cable armor and said clamping device.

9. In railway electric circuit wiring, the combination with an armored cable the armor of which is grounded, of means for anchoring one end of the cable to a device associated with said electricv circuit, comprising a housing, means for clamping the armor of the cable to said housing and insulating sleeve members intervening between said cable armor and said clamping devices; said housing being provided with a chamber to receive the end of the'cable, and a body of material in said chamber for sealing the end gf the cable so as to exclude moisture thererom. v

10. In a railway track'circuit, the combi- I nationwith an electric cable, of means for attaching the cable to a railroad rail comprising a housing for the end of the cable, means for clamping the cable to the housing, insulating sleeve members intervening between the housing and cable, and means for clamping said housing .to said rail; said housing being formed with a chamber to receive the end of the cable an'd to contain a material to seal the end of the cable and insulate the same from the housing.

11. In a railway track circuit, the combination with an electric cable, of means forA attaching the cable to a railroad rail comwith the opposite edge of the rail base; said prising a housing for the end of the cable, housing being formed with downwardly pro- 10 means lfor clamping the cable to the housjecting flanges to protect said cable and with ing, insulating sleeve members intervening a chamber tov receive the end of the cable between the housing and cable, and means and to contain a material to seal the end of for clamping said housing to said rail, comthe cable and insulate the same from the prising a clamping member extending under housing. the rail and formed with a jaw to engage CHRISTIAN E.VHARTVIG.

eminente 0f correction.

i Itis hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,568,603, granted January 5,

`1926, upon vthe application of Christian E. Hartvig, of El Reno, Oklahoma, for an .improvement in Attaching Devices for Electric"Cables,errors appear in the printed specication requiring collection as follows: Page 3, line 18, for the word whereby 7 read thereby; vage 4, line 60, claim 7, for the word body read armor;

- and that the said Letters atent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent (liiice.

Signed and sealed this 2d day of February, A. D. 1926. g 

